What factors account for some poor children turning out well? How is the poor family's use of social networks and of community resources related to its ability to construct a quality home learning environment which in turn facilitates infant development. Factors associated with effective parenting have previously been investigated using a deficit model: low-income parents are compared with middle-income parents. The proposed study will examine factors associated with effective parenting within two separate low income samples: 80 low income black families and 80 low income white families.